Sentinelspire (The Citadels)

It's a great book. The characters are fabulous and I'd love to read more about them in future books. I though the Sentinelspire itself was kind of pointless as it could have easily been the Sentinel-bakery. This doesn't distract from the story at all but I just think it's kind of funny since it's the Citadel series. If your looking for a single stand alone Forgotten Realms book I'd highly recommend this one.

I really enjoyed this novel and could barely put it down. The characters are vivid, real, and gritty. Good twists throughout the novel which kept you guessing which side is right. The characters "acted their age" and that lent an air of authenticity to their actions. One of my favorite books this year!

Sentinelspire by Mark Sehestedt is the fourth, and final, novel in a series of stand-alone novels titled The Citadels. The previous novels in this series are; Neversfall: The Citadels by Ed Gentry, Obsidian Ridge: The Citadels by Jess Lebow, and The Shield of Weeping Ghosts: The Citadels by James P. Davis. This novel marks Mr. Sehestedt's second foray into the Forgotten Realms as an author, his first novel being Frostfell. As with the other books in the Citadels series, readers need not have read any other Forgotten Realms novels prior to reading this book. I, for one, am pleased with the recent trend of Wizards of the Coast to publish these stand-alone novels. It allows the reader to enjoy the book without worrying about prior storylines. The plot of this book is not the conventional fantasy plot. Meaning that while there is a linear aspect to it, the plot of this book is more about self discovery and internal struggle. The main plot of the book deals with a ranger and his apprentice encounter things that had long been forgotten. (I apologize for the vagueness, but I am trying to keep this review spoiler free). There are also several sub plots that flesh out the novel. Such as who the Old Man is and what his followers real purpose are. Lastly, since this is a novel in the Citadel series, there is a citadel that is surrounded by mystery. Unlike the first three novels in the series though, I felt the citadel, Sentinelspire, just didn't measure up to the intrigue and mystery of those that came before it. Now, please know I am not talking about the overall story here, just the actual citadel. It just didn't seem to play as prominent role in the story as the others, which was slightly disappointing. The characters in this novel are really where story is. Characters such as Berun and Lewan, ranger and apprentice respectively, both of these characters start off interesting but as the story progresses they become much more interesting. The character development of these two characters is well done, but more importantly, it makes sense. It is not character development for the sake of character development. It is character development because of events, thoughts, and flaws of the individual characters. It didn't seemed forced at all. There are other characters in this novel that are enjoyable to read about as well such as, Sauk, Talieth, Perch, and Taaki. All of the characters had a role in the book and didn't seem to be there strictly for filler. As far as characters go in a Forgotten Realms novel, the characters in this novel are some of the best I have read in quite some time. A few criticisms about this novel: 1 - With a series titled The Citadels and with the previous books before it. I was disappointed with the lack of mystery and intrigue surrounding the Sentinelspire. This may very well just be related to how well written the other three books in the series were, but I simply did not care about the citadel in this book. It really could have ta

I found my loyalties continuously challenged while reading this book. You have a pretty good view of who the good guys and the bad guys are but as the underlying story develops, you keep wondering what the author has held in reserve, and you aren't disappointed. One of the two better of the Citadels and far better than Neversfell.